VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 19 - Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan commenced the operations of a hazardous oil waste treatment facility and tank cleaning of PT Batam Slop & Sludge Treatment Centre (BSSTEC) in Batam, Riau Islands.

"This is part of our efforts to preserve the environment by providing a treatment facility for oil waste produced during port and shipping activities. Thus, it could reduce the potential of illegal waste being disposed into the sea," Pandjaitan noted in a statement here on Friday.

During the visit on Thursday (March 18), the minister observed the liquid and solid waste treatment facility, including Sludge Storage, Processing Pit, Power Generation System, Emergency Generator, and Oil Storage, with a capacity to process 40 MT of oil sludge per day.

Pandjaitan is upbeat about the BSSTEC investment, worth Rp1.8 trillion, in the facility having a two-fold impact on the economy and leading to the creation of new jobs. Total planned investment of the company has reached Rp7.2 trillion.

"I hope that the realization of PT BBSTEC’s investment of Rp1.8 trillion, of the total investment plan of Rp7.2 trillion, would revive our economy that has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic," he remarked.

Pandjaitan believes that the waste treatment facility is expected to absorb workers in nearby areas, thereby aiding in lowering unemployment and boosting the people's income.

The minister has urged authorities to maintain a conducive business climate in Batam and offer the best services to investors to attract more investment. (Antaranews)

Mar. 19 - Mount Merapi, straddling Yogyakarta and Central Java, erupted 20 times on Friday, spewing searing lava that flowed nearly 1.2 kilometers in the southwest direction based on observation from 00:00 a.m. to 6 a.m. local time.

In addition to the incandescent lava, Head of the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center (BPPTKG) Hanik Humaida remarked that Mount Merapi had recorded 43 earthquakes, with an amplitude of 3-30 mm and a duration of 11-137 seconds, and two earthquakes, with an amplitude of 5-15 mm and a duration of 12-18 seconds.

Moderate to thick white crater smoke was observed to bellow as high as 200 meters from the crater's peak, while weather around the mountain was sunny and cloudy.

Weak winds blew to the west, with air temperatures of 13-20 degrees Celsius, humidity of 70-89 percent, and air pressure of 757-916 mmHg.

During the observation on Thursday from 18:00 p.m. to 24:00 p.m. local time, Mount Merapi released incandescent lava 25 times as far as one km in the southwest direction.

The BPPTKG continues to maintain the alert status of Mount Merapi at Level III.

Areas in the south to the southwest -- Sungai Kuning, Boyong, Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng, and Putih -- are projected to be affected by Mount Merapi’s lava and hot clouds.

In the meantime, Mount Merapi's volcanic material could flow as far as three kilometers from the mountain's peak. (Antaranews)

Mar. 19 - Indonesian Ambassador to Cuba Nana Yuliana met with Cuba's Vice Agriculture Minister Ydael Jesus Perez Brito on Wednesday to discuss ways to step up bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector.

Indonesia and Cuba signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the agricultural sector in 2015.

During their meeting, Yuliana and Brito agreed to implement the MoU soon and plan a virtual meeting to share experiences on the use of digital technology, as part of efforts to increase agricultural productivity, the Indonesian Embassy in Havana said in a written statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.

The Indonesian ambassador also offered Cuba training programs on capacity building in the agricultural sector, including cow breeding with artificial insemination, rice, corn, soybean, and chili farming, and training courses on agricultural machine assembly and maintenance.

She also offered Cuban students scholarships under the developing country partnership to study at various universities in Indonesia for S1, S2, and S3 degrees. One of the universities is Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), which is well known for its agricultural studies.

Yuliana also expressed her wish to visit tobacco and sugarcane plantations in Cuba to observe their management as the plantations have successfully made Cuba one of the world’s major cigar and sugar producers.

Brito welcomed the wish and said he will schedule the ambassador's visit.

Trade between Indonesia and Cuba reached US$6.9 million in 2020. Indonesia exports paper, soap, ceramics, and household utensils to Cuba, while it imports sugar, tobacco, and rum. (Antaranews)

Mar. 19 - The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) thanked the Mexican Government, Customs, and its Armed Forces for the seizure of a series of fake Russian Sputnik V vaccines against the coronavirus.

On Mar. 18 the Mexican authorities confiscated a number of counterfeit vaccines packaged as Sputnik V.

Photo analysis of the batch of vaccine seized, including the design of the container and the label, showed that it was a fake substance that had nothing to do with the original vaccine.

The shipping procedure also violates packaging and transport protocols for the official Sputnik V vaccine.

RDIF states that each batch of Sputnik V vaccine production is subject to strict controls. Each bottle has a unique QR code, which allows RDIF and partners to trace it to the place of origin.

Sputnik V is transported only by authorized operators who are required to comply with the highest standards of safety, including remote temperature and safety controls.

RDIF and the Russian government stated that they will continue to work with governments and partners around the world to jointly identify counterfeit Sputnik V vaccines and ensure the safety of Russian vaccines and their global supply chains.

This is an example of a possible provocation against Sputnik V as warned by Russian officials last week.

The Mexican government halted and prevented provocations possibly aimed at discrediting the Sputnik V vaccine by sending fake vaccines.

RDIF, the Russian Ministry of Health, and the Russian government will cooperate with Mexican authorities in investigating and analyzing the contents of this fake vaccine.

The safety and authenticity of vaccines is very important for RDIF and Gamaleya Center.

Sputnik V is distributed only through official channels and administered only through official government vaccination programs. (VOI)